Liquid-electrode arrester.



E. E. F. CREIGHTON.

LIQUID BLBGTRODE ARRESTER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9, 1907. BENEWED JUNE 7, 1911.

1,004,532, Patented Sept. 26, 1911.

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Witnesses: In ventor:

Qui/IW f/ZL M' 'I 1 zbeh# Elmer EF. Creighton,

. UNITED sfrArEs PATENT oEEroE. p

ELMER E. F. CREIGHTON, 0F SHENEGTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERALELECTRICv COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

LIQUID-ELECTRODE ARRESTER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 26, 1911.

Application illed July 9, 1907, Serial No. 382,859. i Renewed .Tune "7,1911. Serial No. 631,853.

To all whom it may concern: v

Be itknown that I, ELMER E. F. CREIGH- 'ro1\*, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady,

Stateof New York, have inventedD certaln new and useful Improvements inLiquid.- Electrode Arresters, of which the following is a specification.

In a previous application, Serial No. 358,7 77, I have shown anddescribed a lightning arrester consisting of a cell containing a liquidelectrode and two solid electrodes.

The present invention relatesl to details of construction of such adevice.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a liquidelectrode arrester embodying -my improvements F ig. 2 is a top plan viewof the same; Fig. 3 is a section through electrodes 11 just above theblocks 19 on the baille plate, and showing the latter in plan; Fig. 4 isa side elevation of the top of the jar showing lone trap door open; Fig.5 shows one of the hooks for holding the lid on the jar; and Fig. 6illustrates a modified construction.

' The jar l is of glass or other insulating material, and contains avolume of electrolyte 2, composed, for example, of an aqueous solutionof potassium carbonate, or sodium carbonate, or `ammonium chlorid, orlcopper sulfate, `or copper ohlorid. A coating 3 of insulating andliquid-proof material is applied to the bottom of the jar, and extendsup its sides to a point a little above the level of the electrolyte.This coating is preferably composed of celluloid or an equivalenthydrocarbon compound put on in a melted condition. The yupper portion ofthe jar is coated inside and out with paraflin 3,Yor other hydrocarboncompound.

The mouth of the j ar is closed byV a lid or cover which is providedwith a vent, the size'and character of which depends upon the size ofthe jar and the relative volumes of electrolyte and air therein. Theobject of the vent lis to afford 'an escape for the .vapors generated at'the instant an arc is formed by a discharge of high potential. If thereis a comparatively large volume of air in the jar, the resulting ressurewill be moderate, and a simple ho e 4 formed in av as I'ha-ve shownnFigs. 1, 2 and 4. Here the lid 5 is made of some flexible material,such as leather. Itis stifened by a plate 6 of rigid material, such asmetal, extending across the center of the lid and supporting .a clampingbar or yoke 7 composed preferably of two strips of sheet metal boltedtogether. At each end ofthe yoke is a hook, whichmay be integraltherewith, as .shown at 7 in Fig. 6, or made separate and attached tothe yoke as at 72 in Figs. 1, y2, 4 and 5. The latter hooks are sprungover the lip 8 on the mouth ofthe `jar. The hooks 7 are dropped downthrough slots 8 in said lip 8, 'and the yoke is then given a vpar-- tialrotation to carry the hooks under t-he lip. Suitable means are providedto prevent the yoke from being accidentallyA loosened; such as notches82 formed in the` to engage with the under side of the lip 8 edges ofthe hooks.

Those lportions of the flexible lidh which lie on each side of thestiil'ening plateG are reinforced or Weighted by segmental plates .9 ofrigid material. A space is fbetween the edges of the plates 6 and 9 sothat the leather lid can bend, along these lines and form hinges. Thereinforced portions thus constitute fiaps or trap doors,

which lwill readily open upward tol relieve pressure within the jar.

"The metallic electrodes consist of copper wires 10, which are insulatedpreferably by glass or porcelain tubes 11. Between the Wire and the tubethere is preferably left a space which may be packedwith insulatingmaterial .like sulfur. The tubes pass through the lid or thelid anditscentral plate, and' extend some distance above it.

The strips which compose the yoke 7 are bowed outwardly at 12 to permitthe tubes to pass between them and 'serve as clips to clamp -and.support the electrodes at the A proper height above the electrolyte.

Inorder to maintain a constant level of the electrolytes, a reservoir 13is provided, consisting of a closed bulb, preferably of glass, having atubular stem or feeding tube 14 running downthrough a rubber bushing 15clam d in a bowed-out portion 16 of the yoke 7. The feeding tubeterminates at the normal level of the electrolyte. yWhen the latter islowered byevaporation air can enter the feeding tube and bulb untilaSuicient quantity of water has fed down from lio the reservoir torestore the normalv level in the jar and seal the end of the feedingtube.

A baffle plate 17 is supported by'the tubes 11, being adjustable at anyheight above the electrolyte by means of the set-screws 18, tapped intoblocks 19 which are secured to the baffle plate and are bored for thepassage of the tubes 1l.

ln case a high potential charge occurs on the line, it will jump the gapbetween one electrode and the electrolyte and second gap between theelectrolyte and the other electrode.- l find from experiment that theline current does not follow the high potential discharge unless theline voltage is higher than the critical limiting volt-age of the cell,which varies somewhat with` the electrolyte and is usually above 1500Volts. l attribute the current rupturing feature of the cell to thediliiculty in producing or maintaining an arc from a metallic anode to aliquid cathode at a potential less than 1500 volts. Ait higher voltagesan arc can be produced readily. But if the normal line voltage is above1500 volts, two ormore cells can be coupled up in series to obtain abreakdown voltage of any desired value. When a discharge takes placethrough a cell of this kind, some of the electrolyte is va orized by theheat of the arc, and the resu ting pressure in the jar is relieved bythe vent-hole or by the automatic opening ofthe trap doors. The loa-tileplate intercepts any liquid which may be thrown up by the agitation ofthe electrolyte when the discharge occurs. Any loss of electrolyte byvaporization is made good by the supply of water which automati callyfeeds down from the reservoir. llhe external insulating coating on thejar is a safe-guard, both in reinforcing the insulation at this point,and in preventing the escape of the electrolyte in case the jar cracks.The paraffin coating prevents'. the leakage of arcs over crystalsdeposited on surfaces where they are liable to form by the drying ofdrops of electrolyte spattered upon the vupper portions of the jar by aviolent discharge. A

What l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is,-

1. A. liquid electrode lightning arrester,

Looe-,eea

comprising a liquid' containing jar having a lid of exible material,electrodes passing through said lid and a stiffening plate crossing themiddle of said lid. i

2. A liquid electrode lightnin arrester, comprising a j arhaving a lidof eXible material, a stifening plate crossing the' middle of said lid,aluminium electrodes passing through said plate, and a yoke resting yonSaid plate andclamping said electrodes.

3.l The combination with a jar, of a lid of flexible material, a platecrossing said lid, electrodes passing through said plate, a reservoirhaving a feeding tube passing down through said plate, and a yokecomposedof two strips of sheet metal lying on opposite sides of saidelectrodes and feeding-tube and serving as clips to clamp and supportthe same. i

4. The combination with a' jar, of a lid therefor, insulated electrodespassing through said lid, and a yoke clamping said electrodes and havinghooks engaging with said jar.

5. A. liquid electrode lightning arrester comprising a jar containing avolume of electrolyte and a volume of air, a lid for said jar, insulatedelectrodes supported thereby, and a coating of liquid-proof mav terialcovering the lower portion of said jar up to a point above the level ofthe electrolyte.

6. The combination with a jar, of a lid therefor, insulated electrodespassing through said lid, and a baiiie plate supportedby said electrodesand adjustable with respect to each of said electrodes.

7. ln a liquid electrode cell, the combination of a jar filled in partwith an electrolyte, a lid for saidjar, electrodes passing through saidlid, and a yoke extending across the lid and resting on the edges of thejar to be supported thereby, said yoke clamping the electrodes inposition but per-v mitting longitudinal adjustment thereof.

lin witness whereof, fl have hereunto set my hand this 3rd day of July,1907.

ELMER E. F. CREllGrHTN.

Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, lilnnnn @Broan

